What's in The Mix (tape)
A post about the work I'm in right now, and my vision for this Substack
Pray for Zinnia
I am writing this post from the Ronald McDonald House next to the Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I’m here to support my friends Shaun Matusewicz and Amy Stevens, as their daughter Zinnia recovers from an accident that happened on Sunday.
While it has been an emotional rollercoaster there is so much to be thankful for Zinnia. I know one thing everyone can do is to pray for her, and for her family.
There is a site created to share information and you can find that here:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zinniamatusewicz
What’s in the Mix (tape)
I’ve been on Substack for around a month or so now, and I’ve been taking the time to get to know the format and publish some of my most recent essays that I’m proud of.
A few people have even already supported financially, which is very much appreciated, and an encouragement to explore this format more.
My plan is to use this page for original, new pieces, that expand beyond what I usually write about, while also sharing insights into the projects that I am working on and releasing.
The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing
I am currently writing a piece that celebrates 50 years of hip-hop called “When I Reminisce Over You”. I’m also putting together our next zine, Volume 24, finishing up Season 5 of our Dirtbag State of Mind podcast, and releasing the Microdose Mixtape, a spoken word centered project with my friends and colleagues Kris Hampton and Devin Dabney.
I’m also working on my sixth book, American Climber 2, but I’ll save the details on that for a future post :)
Here’s a peak into the upcoming projects.
If you’d like to support my work here’s three great ways to do so:
Subscribe to The Climbing Zine or buy something from our online store
Subscribe to this Substack, for free or start at $5 a month
The most recent episode of our Dirtbag State of Mind podcast features my brother from another
. Greg and I have been friends for over two decades, and we have both been writing about our adventures for the same amount of time.This episodes is called “Exploring The Lines of Climbing and Writing” though we explore so much more in the conversation than just those two subjects.
Here’s a link to the episode at our site, and on Spotify.
Volume 24 of The Climbing Zine is due out for a release late this year. While many of the stories are still in the editing phase, we’ve chosen this photograph by Hobo Greg from a climbing trip he took to Scotland.
The Zine is the only widely distributed print rock climbing publication in the United States and we are committed to representing the essence of climbing.
You can subscribe for $29.99 + shipping a year. We publish twice annually.
Out of everything I’ve been working on lately, the Microdose Mixtape has been the most out of my comfort zone. The project will feature eight or so of my poems set to music produced by Devin Dabney and Kris Hampton. The essence of the work is spoken word poetry, set to jazzy and hip-hop style tunes.
I really enjoy doing something creative outside of my normal work every year, and this project is definitely satisfying that desire.
We’ll be releasing the project on all the usual platforms, plus we’ll be producing real tapes!
The project should be out sometime this fall.
Thanks for reading!
Peace,
Luke